This is my own response to my previous opinion piece, A Simple Choice.
Of course, there is not another choice in this election, other than getting out and voting. It seems that voter apathy is the real determinate of who wins. There are several factors driving voter apathy:
If both parties had platforms to lead governments at all levels to become more efficient, more responsive, and less expensive, then both parties might find that they can find some common ground for programs that grow the economy, cost less, be responsive to business and the public, and provide robust social services. And with growth in a cooperative spirit, everyone will have time and energy to tackle the really big issues such as climate change. Seems that growth in a cooperative spirit is needed in all countries. How can this happen? Perhaps while we ask our politicians to start talking with and listening to each other, everyone else should also work at finding a way to talk with and listen to each other. I don't have any real answers but I believe this is key. I heard about an experiment where a dozen Democrats and an equal number of Republicans agreed to the following experiment. The researchers questioned each individual privately about their beliefs, especially what they thought about Republicans and Democrats. Then, they all got together and sat in two concentric circles. They flipped a coin as which group would go into the inner circle first. The other group sat in a larger circle around them and were instructed to listen only. Then the inner circle group were asked to describe the life experiences that lead them to have the beliefs they have. They were asked to focus on their life experiences, not their beliefs. After everyone had their turn, they switched inner and outer circles. Finally, they sat in one big circle with alternating Democrat Republican Democrat Republican etc. and were asked to talk with one another. The researchers found that virtually everyone moderated their view of the others and that they were able to talk about various political issues and find at least some common areas of agreement. Perhaps a movement of small groups around the country listening to and sharing life experiences in this format would help us relearn the skill of talking with each other in a civil manner.
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Americans actually have a simple choice. Sadly, this simple choice gets lost with the focus on personalities - much of which is not civil rhetoric.
Choice #1 - Republicans They stand for a capitalist free market with much less regulation. History shows us that this approach does create winners (the American dream), but it also creates many more losers. Republicans believe that lower taxes for corporations and the wealthy will help create a strong economy which will benefit all. Wealth inequality is the highest in modern history. They also want less government support for the losers. They believe that if they create a strong economy, people can fend for themselves. This includes people buying their own medical insurance. History also shows that less regulation results in more environmental damage. In one term during the Trump administration, the Republicans rolled back more than 100 environmental rules. Climate change is rapidly becoming an existential threat to humanity. Choice #2 - Democrats They stand for a capitalist free market with some regulation. They believe in reasonable support for those struggling the most. Wealth inequality should be less than it is now. This means that there could be higher taxes for wealthy individuals and corporations, and lower taxes for the average American. There should be fewer losers. Then everyone can contribute to the economy, and the economy will be even stronger. The Democrats are working to protect the environment and lessen the existential threat of climate change - for Americans and all of humanity. The choice: Republicans - winners take all philosophy Democrats - we can all win philosophy See my next blog for further discussion on this subject. https://thoughtsbyjuliansale.weebly.com/blog/american-election-8-nov-22-another-choice Politics can be defined as being "Left of Centre" or "Right of Centre". Where the "Centre" is varies from country to country and within countries over time.
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